Friends,

Actually, this has reference to the latest skirmish
between Z.S. and Naseer Saheb. It concerned a sher by
one Nasir Turabi. I don't know much about him. But
Z.S. has stated that he is no more.

****************

I chose the title of this post to emphasize that "change"
is the order of the day --- there is nothing static in this
world where we dwell.

Recently, in another thread, I had mentioned the English
poet Lord Tennyson --- {"Home they brought her warrior dead"}.

Another of his poems bears the title "The Passing of Arthur".
The reference is to the legendary King Arthur and his Knights.

In this poem, Lord Tennyson says :

"The old order changeth, yielding place to new,
And God fulfills Himself in many ways,
Lest one good custom should corrupt the world."

****************

In Urdu, there is a well-known sher :

SukooN muHaal hai qudrat ke kaarKHaane men
Sabaat ek taGHaiyyur ko hai zamaane men

****************

Ya, doosre alfaaz men --- jo aaj hai, woh kal naheeN rahega.

Great conquerors and Empire builders, like the Greeks and
Romans, have vanished from the face of the Earth.

A sher from an Urdu masnawi states this truth :

Laakh Dara aur Sikandar ho gaye
Hichki aayee maut ki aur so gaye

****************

When Japan defeated Russia in or around 1905, no one could have
imagined that the triumphant Japan would lay in ruins in 1945.

****************

When I was a student in school, the Britishers were still ruling
India.....

In one of the rooms in our house, a quite large Map of the World
had been hung. I believe it must have been printed around 1920 or
even earlier. Different countries and Empires {then flourishing in
the world} were shown in the Map in different colours. It may be
added here that this Map had been printed in Urdu.

A very large part of the Map was printed in pink colour --- that
reflected the British possessions around the world.

And, right on top of the Map, a legend had been printed in very bold
type (in Urdu script) :

"Sultanat-e-Bartaaniya par sooraj kabhi GHuroob naheeN hota"

Today, the British empire has vanished. Britain itself has been
reduced to a small island nation. Its northern part (Scotland) is
likely to break away soon (after another Referendum
or two). A large part of Ireland has already been independent for
nearly a century. A small part (North Ireland) is still part of
Britain. But one doesn't know for how long.

****************

The break-up of British India began, I think, in the late thirties.
In 1947, Pakistan came into being --- with two wings separated by
several hundred miles. And, then, East Pakistan became Bangladesh,
following a brief War, in December 1971.

And look at the principal personnel who were around at that time and
what became of them......

Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was hanged. General Yahya Khan passed away in
ignominy. General Zia-ul-Haq died in a plane crash. Mujeeb-ur-Rehman
was assassinated by his own army officers. They were subsequently
caught and executed.

Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her own security guards.

****************

I will conclude with one historical fact.

India's military contingent in the Bangladesh War was commanded on the
the ground by one Major-General Shuhbeg Singh.

Some years later, he had joined forces with Jarnail Singh
BhindraNwaale. And when Operation BlueStar took place, Shuhbeg Singh
too was killed.

****************

One can give so many other examples from World History......

So, as I said earlier :

SukooN muHaal hai qudrat ke kaarKHaane men
Sabaat ek taGHaiyyur ko hai zamaane men

Afzal